Columbus Blue Jackets News Clips Dec. 4-5, 2018 Columbus Blue Jackets PAGE 02: Columbus Dispatch: Ryan Murray thankful injury was minor PAGE 04: Columbus Dispatch: Cam Atkinson at great point in career, life PAGE 06: Columbus Dispatch: Pierre-Luc Dubois aggravated Islanders with physical play PAGE 08: The Athletic: Why John Tortorella has framed his lineup decision as Anthony Duclair vs. Oliver Bjorkstrand PAGE 11: Columbus Dispatch: Flames 9, Blue Jackets 6: Jackets' lead dissolves in wild second- period flurry PAGE 13: Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets: Preview of tonight's game vs. Calgary PAGE 15: The Athletic: G27: Sergei Bobrovsky doesn’t get hook until late in Blue Jackets’ ugly 9-6 loss to Calgary PAGE 19: The Athletic: ‘It’s a no-hit league’: The story behind the slow death of the NHL’s ‘suicide’ pass Cleveland Monsters/Prospects PAGE 23: The AHL: MONSTERS’ LETESTU EXCITED FOR NEW CHALLENGE NHL/Websites PAGE 25: Seattle Times: NHL could announce October 2021 start date for new Seattle team as early as Tuesday PAGE 28: The Athletic: More slam-dunk than surprise, Seattle named NHL’s newest team PAGE 31: The Athletic: LeBrun: With Seattle official, next step is to hire a GM — and try to replicate the early success Vegas had PAGE 35: Seattle Times: After years of trying and a cast of characters in between, the NHL will finally put a team in Seattle PAGE 38: The Athletic: Pronman: Ranking the 2020 NHL Draft prospects PAGE 43: The Athletic: DGB weekend power rankings: Crazy finish to the William Nylander saga, Tom Wilson and a new number one PAGE 48: The Athletic: The answer for women’s hockey is one league. The question is, how do we get there? 1 Ryan Murray thankful injury was minor By Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch – December 3, 2018 Ryan Murray was sure he’d been snakebitten again. A little more than eight minutes into the third period of the Blue Jackets’ 3-2 loss Saturday at the New York Islanders, the Blue Jackets defenseman took a hard shot off the left foot by Johnny Boychuk. It left him unable to skate on it, so he left the game. Murray had X-rays taken at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum, found out it wasn’t broken and left the arena wearing a walking boot. He woke up Sunday able to walk and practiced Monday. “I thought for sure it was broken, honestly, but I got the X-rays and everything was good,” said Murray, who missed 35 games last season after injuring his back in late November. “I’m pretty fortunate on that end.” The Blue Jackets are, too. Murray is off to another great start, with 13 points on a goal and 12 assists, and has played some key roles thus far. Losing him would create a big void. “It was just one of those things where (Boychuk’s) coming right down Main Street and you’re right there, and you’re not going to move out of the way,” he said. “You’re just hoping for the best. I think it could’ve been a lot worse.” Murray hadn’t used skate guards all season, but put a pair on Monday. The plastic guards lend added protection while blocking shots, but can restrict movement. “I had some a few years ago and I hated them,” Murray said. “They were really bad, so I took them off. Couldn’t skate with them. These bend with your skate, so it’s a lot better.” Bjorkstrand to play again Oliver Bjorkstrand will play his third straight game when the Blue Jackets host the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. He’s happy to be playing, after sitting four straight games as a healthy scratch, but now forward Anthony Duclair will sit his third straight game. Three of the Jackets’ four lines are consistently playing well, which leaves just one open spot on the third line for Bjorkstrand and Duclair to play. It’s become a competition between them, which coach John Tortorella has stated. “Sometimes when you make it public it’s a bad thing,” Tortorella said. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I don’t think ‘Duke’ has played poorly and I don’t think Oliver Bjorkstrand has played poorly enough to be sitting out forever. That fourth line has changed the complexion of what I do.” Quotable 2 “Everybody’s screaming about a penalty. That’s a legal hit ... we hear a big boom and all of a sudden, we think it needs to be a penalty. I think it’s a legal hit.” — Tortorella on a hit the Islanders’ Thomas Hickey put on Artemi Panarin that was ruled boarding. 3 Cam Atkinson at great point in career, life By Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch – December 3, 2018 How good is life for Cam Atkinson at the moment? Take a quick glance at his past 12 months and see for yourself. A year ago, things off the ice were pretty good. He’d signed a long-term contract extension, was planning the next stage of his life, which included putting roots down in Columbus and starting a family. He’d even switched to an Ohio driver’s license. On the ice, things weren’t as great. Atkinson only had six goals and nine points in 23 games, bouncing around the lineup and even sitting out a game as a healthy scratch. He also broke a bone in his foot two days before Christmas, which seemed to be on par for his hockey existence. It turned out to be exactly the kind of break he needed, as in a pause that helped turn things around. As his foot healed, Atkinson “hit the reset” button mentally and corrected a flaw in his shot. He scored a game-winning goal in his first game back, in late January, and ignited a run that’s still going. Already the third-leading scorer in Blue Jackets history when he started the season, his assist Saturday against the Islanders was the 300th point of his career. He’s 18 away from overtaking David Vyborny for second and shows no signs of slowing. Since returning from the broken foot Jan. 25 in Arizona last season, Atkinson has scored at a point-a- game pace, racking up 60 points on 34 goals and 26 assists in 58 games. That includes 16 goals, 11 assists and 27 points this season, sharing the team lead in scoring with Artemi Panarin. He’s on a career- best 10-game point streak. Off the ice, things are even better. Atkinson and his wife, Natalie, welcomed infant son Declan into the world in late July and the house they’re building is nearly finished. Atkinson has also invested in a local hockey development facility called Battery Hockey, which opened in the fall. It’s been quite a year. “I’ve got everything I need in my life,” Atkinson said Monday. “It can’t get much better. I’m at a stage in my life where, you know, hockey’s fun.” It sure looks that way, for him and the Jackets’ top line. Panarin also has 27 points (seven goals, 20 assists), center Pierre-Luc Dubois has 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists) and together they’ve overwhelmed more than a few opponents. They just wear teams out when they’re clicking. When they’re not, Atkinson has learned how to leave those games in the locker room. Credit Declan for that assist. “If I have a bad game or I don’t get a point, then my boy’s not going to (care),” Atkinson said. “I’ve got bigger things to worry about — and I think that kind of lets me just play loose and play free. That’s when I’m playing my best hockey.” Captain Nick Foligno knows that feeling three times over. 4 “He’s maturing as a person,” Foligno said of Atkinson. “He’s becoming a dad and that’s probably one of the best things to ever happen to somebody in that situation. When you go home, it doesn’t really matter. You’re just like, ‘Why am I holding onto this?’ ” Atkinson no longer does. He still cares about hockey, a ton, but now it stays in the locker room. “I’ll still be (mad) about it, but as soon as I leave the rink, I try to keep everything (hockey related) in the building,” he said. “Mentally, I feel the best I’ve ever felt.” 5 Pierre-Luc Dubois aggravated Islanders with physical play By Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch – December 3, 2018 The people in the front row weren’t amused. Pierre-Luc Dubois had just scored to give the Blue Jackets a 2-0 lead Saturday, almost halfway through the second period at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum, and he glided over with his arms wide and a smug grin on his face. The Blue Jackets’ man-child center, 20, reveled in the heckles. Standing on the other side of the glass was a big dude in a blue New York Islanders sweartshirt, with a buzz cut and bulging eyes that made it seem like somebody had insulted his dear, sweet grandmother. The meat hook on his left wrist had its thumb pointed straight to the floor. Another guy pounded the glass and hurled insults. A third, wearing a knit cap and gray Islanders shirt, emptied his box of perfectly good popcorn in Dubois’ direction — scattering yellow kernels, and raw emotions, onto the floor with a knee-jerk act of sports defiance.